


Practice

by Turtles



Category: One Direction
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings, X-Factor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-09
Updated: 2013-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-18 04:42:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/875749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turtles/pseuds/Turtles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To avoid telling Louis that he likes him, Harry tells him he likes Niall instead. Hijinks ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Practice

**Author's Note:**

> born out of text fic sent to [dee](bestfates.tumblr.com) back in february

Louis has never considered himself a jealous person. He knows he's charming, and fairly good looking. This leads him to be fairly secure in whatever boy or girl he happens to be pursuing. Which doesn't really explain why his hand clenches so tightly in Harry's hair when Harry says, "Niall."

There's a silence in the room for a second and then Louis flatly says, "You have a crush on Niall?"

Harry laughs and squirms where his head is in Louis' lap, making Louis' stomach swoop uncomfortably, "Yeah, you know. Irish accents and slim shady hair do it for me. Plus he has a nice bum."

"Niall's bum is incomparable to- I mean. I mean, yeah. I guess Niall's fit." Louis can feel himself coming dangerously close to a pout.

Harry is looking up at him with wide green eyes and he says, "We're good...right, Louis?"

Digging his fingers into Harry's side to startle a chortle out of him he says, "Why wouldn't we be H?"

But Louis can think of a couple reasons why he's not good, and even though he has Harry giggling underneath his hands right now, Harry actually wants Niall. By the time Louis is done tickling Harry , he's out of breath and red, and precious and his. "What about you, Lou? Any crushes?"

Louis looks down at how the curls fall into Harry's face, how his smile stretches his face out until it's forced to cave into a dimple. "Nah, Harry. No crushes."  
-  
Niall is up early the next morning, always has been up with the sun. Or 'unfairly, and incomprehensibly cheery, and will you please go the fuck to bed' as Zayn says. It's a little surprising to have Harry come up to him this morning, before the entire house is up. A little less surprising is that he's solely in pants.

A hand drops down on the counter and Niall gives Harry a morning wave before Harry says, "We need to talk." 

"Sure, Haz, 'bout what?"

In an uncharacteristic gesture Harry keeps running his fingers across the edge of the island, "I may have, told Louis. That I have a crush on you."

Niall sighs. This isn't uncommon. He's used to everyone being on his dick. "Look, Harry, you're a great lad. But I'm just not into you that way. If you want we can have a couple handies, get it out of your system-"

Harry splutters about, then he looks like he's considering it for a second before he blurts, "No! Niall! It was a diversionary tactic! I didn't. I didn't want Louis to know I had a crush on him."

Niall serves up his eggs and heads to the table and says, "Well, you might want to stop shouting it to the house then."

Dropping into the chair next to Niall, Harry buries his head in his hands. 

"I just didn't know what to do," Harry moans out. "He was playing with my hair, and he's so pretty, and funny, and just perfect. And I didn't want to muck it all up."

Niall keeps eating his eggs on toast silently. Eggs on toast never asks him to fix their relationship problems.

"And he asked me if I had a crush on someone, and it's just it's him. But I couldn't say that. So, I just said the first person that came to mind, and now he thinks I have a crush on you. And now I don't know what to do."

Niall reaches out to pat Harry's shoulder with a spare hand. Even if his problem is completely avoidable, it's still kinda sad to see him all pathetic and limp. "I'm sure you'll work something out Harry."  
-  
It feels like a bit of a punch to the gut to Louis that morning, to come downstairs and see Niall's hands on Harry. But he supposes he shouldn't be surprised. Harry's always been charming, just didn't think he'd move quite so fast.

Louis refuses to act upset, but he may drag the kitchen chair back a little too harshly. Creating a loud grating sound. Which completely wasn't meant to disrupt this moment. Because Louis is an adult.   
Harry and Niall startle and turn to stare at him like they've been caught out, and it doesn't mean a thing to Louis. Not at all.

He drops into his chair with a huff, but when he looks up at Harry he's beaming at him. Louis can't help, but grin back. Involuntary smile tugged against the corner of his lips. It makes him lick out and press his mouth together. Harry seems to do that a lot to him, draw out reactions he can't control.

Rolling his eyes and finishing his toast, Niall gets up, throwing back a, "You two need to sort your lives out."

Louis frowns at at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," says Harry and does he sound a bit panicky? "I'm sure it means nothing. Lets go play FIFA, yeah?"

Louis is still confused, but Harry likes to snuggle when he plays FIFA so he's not gonna say no.  
-  
Harry's going mad. Ever since he told Louis that (stupid, are you kidding, literally the worst idea you've ever had) lie, it feels like he's been living a double life. 

He'll be curled up on the couch between Louis and Niall, and he'll want to lean into Louis, but he knows he's supposed to keep up this charade with wanting Niall. 

Except then Louis' arms will come around him, and bring him in to the warmth of his chest, and all he can do is cuddle in while Louis stretches his feet out and accidentally kick Niall in the balls. Come to think of it, Louis has been extra clumsy lately around Niall.

But anyway it's not a hassle to give Niall a friendly kiss on the cheek or hug every now and then. It's just not what Harry wants to do. Harry wants to be with Louis, and it's pretty hard to try and pretend he has feelings for Niall instead.

They're laying in Louis' bunk again, Harry letting Louis scratch at his scalp and pull his curls so they bounce back. Harry feels soft and content, he got out of the shower and just put on some joggers forgoing underwear. 

Louis pulls on his hair a little harder to catch Harry's attention, and Harry hums out a question before Louis says, “Have you ever kissed a boy?”

And Harry should have known that Louis wouldn't leave it at face value. Would want to help him 'get' Niall, so he hesitates when he says, “No?”

Louis' fingers are still in his hair, and he clears a throat a bit before he says, “Well, if you want I could help you practice. You know, before you try and seduce Niall with a sloppy tongue or sommat.”

Harry starts choking once he realizes what Louis is offering him, literally coughing and sitting up while looking at Louis with wide eyes. Louis sits up with him, stroking his back and shrugs, “We don't have to if you don't want to.”

“No!” Louis pulls back a bit, “I mean, no, yeah, I want to. It'd be good. Practice.”

Louis nods picking at the breadspread a little, before he looks back up at Harry. Harry used to think your breath catching was a thing for movies or novels, but when Louis looks at him. His pretty blue eyes so close to his own, his hair soft and in his face. He feels all those silly love things.

“Come here then,” Louis says, and he's sliding his hand up to hold Harry's jaw. Bringing them closer together until Harry can see Louis' eyes flutter and close, his eyelashes fanning against his skin. He gets the idea that maybe he should close his eyes too, but before he can Louis' lips are on his own.

It's just a soft press of lips, but it makes Harry slouch into Louis. Bringing his own hands to Louis' shoulders. Harry feels the tease of Louis' tongue at the seam of his mouth, and he opens it letting Louis keep licking at his lips and bringing his own tongue to slide against his.

Their lips are wet and smooth against each other and Harry can feel Louis' hand tighten in his hair a bit, before releasing it and bringing his hand down to rest against Harry's pulse. 

Harry can feel his cock getting fat in his joggers, and is regretting not putting on underwear after his shower. That's not a normal thing, he thinks. Getting hard while practicing a bit of snogging with a mate. He pulls back a bit letting their mouths separate, and they're both panting a bit into each other's spaces.

Harry feels out of sorts and he can't stop staring at the way Louis' lips are shiny from kissing. If Louis looks down he's going to be able to tell he's hard so Harry uses his hands on Louis' shoulders to maneuver himself off the bed and say, “Gotta use the bathroom, see ya later, bye.”

As Harry runs out of the room, he misses the huff Louis lets out and the way he brings his hands to his mouth with a clever smile.

Harry is shuffling down the hallway, one hand trying to bring his dick down so no one sees. He bangs open the door to the only bathroom, slamming it shut behind him and whipping a towel off the rack before finally grabbing his cock through his joggers and giving himself a stroke through the fabric.

“Harry?” comes a squeak from within the room.

“Fuck! Niall?” Harry says, spinning around to see Niall sitting on the toilet.

“I'm tryin' to take a shit mate, go wank in your bunk!”

“Oh, goddamnit,” says Harry, and strips off while Niall yells about how it's more of Harry he ever wanted to see, and turns the water on cold, hopping in the shower.

“I think I have a problem, Niall,” Harry says pitifully from the shower.

“No kidding.”

-

Louis keeps up the 'practices' after that. 

Tells Harry he needs to be ready to kiss Niall at any moment, when he pushes him up against a dark hallway and puts his mouth on him. Lets them mouth sloppily at each other, Louis' hands in Harry's hair angling his mouth open, while Harry holds on to Louis' hips.

He sits on Harry's thighs in the living room when it's empty, tells him there are all sorts of kisses and mouths down his neck licking. Bites his ear a bit, and feels a bit of success when he feels Harry shake underneath him.

“Come on Harry, boys like a bit of bum grabbing,” Louis says one night. Puts Harry's hands on his arse and only vaguely manages to hold in a moan when Harry's first instinct is to squeeze and knead. Bringing him closer to Harry than he carefully allots. 

Doesn't want Harry to feel how hard he is and go running, even though he always seems to anyway. The other day Louis had brushed his nipple and he'd run out of his room saying his phone was ringing, and it was probably his mum.

Louis had wanked off in the bunk after that, thinking that he had to slow down a bit probably. Didn't want to scare Harry off when he was slowly working his way to winning his affections. Well, he hadn't wanked thinking of that. But in the messy aftermath it had crossed his mind.

They were kissing again, Louis' hands on Harry's arms. Stroking up and down and tucking fingers into Harry's sleeves to feel the skin underneath it. Harry's hands were subconsciously stroking circles on Louis' lower back, dipping to his arse with every rotation from where Louis was perched above him.

Harry bites Louis' lip just as his hands squeeze against his bum, and Louis can't help it, he lets out a groan and his hips come grinding down. Louis' eyes fly open and meet Harry's own shocked ones, when he feels that Harry's hard too.

Harry wants this, is groaning into his mouth and rolling them over until he's rutting against Louis' hands covering his body. Letting Louis pull down his pants and boxers, until he can put his hands on Harry's bare ass.

Louis squeezes Harry forward, “Harry, fuck, can I touch you?”

Harry is nodding, and Louis is grabbing his cock, big in his hand. Harry fucking up into it while Louis smears the precome blurting out with his thumb.

Louis grabs hold of one edge of his shorts and pulls, trying to shimmy them off so he can feel Harry's skin on his own. And Harry just yanks them down, leaving Louis a little shocked, and brings their bodies together with a sort of desperation only known to randy teenagers.

Harry is kissing into his mouth and grabbing along his body, bringing Louis' hips up to meet his. Grinding his cock against the cut of his hip and moaning his name.

Louis plants his feet on the bed, toes curling against the sheets as he rubs upwards his dick smearing precome onto Harry's belly, sliding underneath his t-shirt, and god, they still have their shirts on.

Louis' hand is coming between them again and he pulls Harry's hand down to his own prick, bucking up when Harry tightens his hold and starts pulling at him, kissing Louis' neck softly. A contrast from the way their bodies are crashing into each other. 

Louis brings his hand up to pinch at Harry's nipple and Harry gasps, fucks into his hand and comes. Splatters Louis' own cock and thighs with little pulses of come.

“Shit, Harry,” Louis says, and Harry shakes his head kissing Louis again before using the his come to bring Louis off, letting him come against his own stomach.

Louis can't help but grin in the moments after they've both come. He wants to yell, 'Suck it you Irish bastard!' to the world. He runs a hand through the sweaty strands at the base of Harry's neck.

His smile falls flat when he hears Harry say quietly, “You're really. Um, good at this practice.”

“Right. Practice. For Niall.” Louis laughs out, before getting up from the bed and gathering his clothes. He's an idiot if he thought this was anything more.

He slips back into his clothes and leaves Harry on the bed with a sharp, “Cheers.”

-

The next day Harry and Louis get up around the same time, but Louis immediately heads to the bathroom before even saying good morning. During vocal practice he sticks to Zayn, even though he knows he and Harry are in a strop right now. And for dinner, he declines to have anything of what Harry's cooking and instead makes some monstrosity with Cher.

Harry's not used to not being Louis' favorite person and he can't click what's changed between them, why getting off meant this shift, when it was exactly what Harry was trying to avoid. Why Louis moves away now when Harry tries to get closer, a hurt shut out look in his eyes.

Until it clicks. Of course. Louis knows Harry likes him. How could he not with the way he practically mauled him while they were getting off?

As soon as Harry realizes he makes his way up to the room, where Louis slipped into bed uncharacteristically early. He opens the door and finds Louis' bunk, and sees Louis is still awake. 

“Lou? Can I talk to you?” he whispers into the dark, tentative.

“About what, Harry?” Louis says, and he sounds tired already. Maybe he should let him sleep, but he won't be able to if they don't talk about this and they're competing for christ sake's.

“I know why you've been avoiding me.” Harry says, and he feels the entire line of Louis' body go tense. “And I just want you to know I'm sorry, but I can't change how I feel.”

Louis sits up then and he looks so soft and sad in the dim light of the room.

“I know you can't,” he sighs out, “You know the last thing I wanted to do was make you feel bad, it's just hard to deal with you know, how it's always Niall.”

Harry seems to have lost the track here, “Wait, Niall?”

“Yeah, you know your big fat crush on Niall, my big fat crush on you, this whole conversation we're having?” Louis says, pushing his hair out of his face with an irritated flick of his wrist.

“...Your big fat crush on _me_?”

Louis turns red, “Well, you don't have to go on about it, I get it, you like someone else. I just. Need some time, you know?”

“You still think I like Niall?” Harry asks, and he hasn't been able to stop asking questions and he's sure he looks like a moron but this is important.

Louis shoots him a look, “Well, don't you?”

“Um. Maybe. Not so much as I originally let you think?”

“Well then, what is this entire conversation about?” Louis blurts out, looking frustrated.

“It may, have been my thinking, that you were avoiding me because you knew how I felt. Not about Niall. About you.”

“Oh,” Louis says, “How do you? Feel about me.”

Harry breathes in deep, and smiles, “I might have a big fat crush on you too. And maybe, all that practice, wasn't so much practice.”

“Good,” Louis says, and springs onto Harry peppering his face with kisses and making Harry laugh and try and meet his mouth with his own. They kiss lazily for a bit, and Louis comes up for air. Flushed and happy and pressing his fingertips against Harry's face, just because he can.

“Although, if you want,” Louis says, bringing his fingertips across Harry's mouth, “We could still practice blowjobs.”

And they do.


End file.
